markus moestue travels norway on a self-built dinosaur bike

markus moestue rides across norway on a self-built dinosaur bike
all images by henning pedersen / courtesy of markus moestue

a mean machine like no other: norwegian artist markus moestue has hand-crafted a dinosaur bicycle, fit to travel across norway on a significant trip across the country. using a traditional kitchen knife, the body of the beast has been sculpted from hand-carved styrofoam, shaving away layers until the accurate anatomy was achieved. chiseling the head and body separately, moestue formed the two parts to closely resemble the elongated, pointy head and sweeping, acute tail of a ravenous raptor. the base framework has been covered with epoxy glue and glass fiber coating, and painted vibrant orange and red tones. details such as dripping saliva and razor-sharp teeth add a sense of realism to the mobile sculpture. finally, the dino was fit onto the vehicle’s final frame, welded together from three different bicycle pieces.   

of it’s deep-seated symbolism, moestue tells designboom that the artwork was built ‘for a trip across the bible belt in norway. it was a protest against the dogmatic religious education of children, and the idea originated from the theme-parks of creationists that teach children that humans and dinosaurs used to live together.’

on the streets on norway

the artist and his creation parked in along the water

taking the mobile sculpture on the highway

the finished cruiser

passers-by can’t help but stare at the curious vehicle riding down the street

the head has been meticulously sculpted from styrofoam and covered with epoxy glue and glass fibre coating

the two halves of the dinosaur form fit around the bike frame

developing the framework

the final frame has been welded together from three different bicycles

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